Hello, and My Amazing Atkins Story!

[Lestat]

Hey everyone! I am a 29 year old male and started the Atkins Diet when I was 27. I did induction completely and followed the diet to a T for the first four months and then I let go. I love eating rice and Indian food and I guess that killed it! Anyway, the amazing thing is that I finally got back on it the second time, and am LOSING EVEN MORE than the first time around.

A few things I noticed:

1. At my heaviest, I was 200 pounds. I stand 6'3" and used to model in my teens but then I spiralled after my jaundice attack, and it was fatville for a while. I have a lean chest and am OK from the waist down. Its just the abdomen that got so big and I think that alone made me want to get on the diet.

2. I only started losing weight from day 4, strictly on induction the whole time.

3. The moment I stopped, the weight came back in torrents, even though I still ate low-carb for the most part, limiting rice and potatoes. It seemed that for me, if I Got off 20-30 grams of carbs a day, I would SWELL no matter how much I exercised as well.

4. It made me understand that Atkins works differently for different people. You just HAVE To take risks and experiment on this diet because even within it, the rules vary depending on your metabolism and how your body works with food.

5. The second time around, which I started seven days ago, I weighed 195 pounds and definitely would say I am chunky around my midsection. The horrible thing for me is that I am facially considered very goodlooking but with a little bit of weight on my face go from beautiful to downright bloated and hideous really soon. On the diet for a week now, the FIRST place the weight disappeared from was my face. Now slowly the weight loss is affecting my midsection which seems to be the LAST PLACE than Atkins targets!

6. I drink Diet Coke all the time and aspartame does not seem to interfere with the way my diet is going. Interestingly, I seem to be more bloated in the mornings if I DONT have a DC the previous day and drink only water. Hmmm...

7. My favorite meat is chicken, so that takes up most of my diet.

8. I am definitely looking so much better. This is the only diet in the world where people will look at you within four days of your starting it and ask if you've lost weight. Seriously.

9. My only problem now is getting access to food at work. The cafeteria here is VERY carb friendly, so today I carried lots of nuts and am feeling full after just a few of them. Looking forward to a nice, cheesy mushroom omelette this evening!

I am so glad to join this forum, and I wish us all the best of luck!

[Gala]

Welcome to the board Lestat.
you seem to be off a great start already
so, good luck and see you around!

[Lestat]

By the way, I must share something with you. Its a misconception that only overweight or 'fat' people are on Atkins. I personally know of some very slender, gym-bodied people who are still on Atkins only because they follow the mantra that Atkins is a WAY OF LIFE and not just a DIET. If you understand this concept correctly, the diet becomes a part of who you are, and failure is not something you will encounter. Then it stops being a diet, instead its part of your own nutritional outlook on life.

[Gala]

Thanks for sharing this Lestat. I strongly believe this is WOL and not a diet. Bad habits are hard to die though, cheating doesn't occurs because we go off the diet but because we are still fighting against those bad habits.

[dreamof145]

Welcome and congratulations on your decision to take control of your life again. We are happy to have you join us on our quest for good health. Thanks for sharing your story - it is very inspirational and your attitude is fantastic!! Keep us posted on your success.

[Sheshy]

Hi Lestat and welcome to ADBB!

And absolutely ... it is a Way of Life!

Glad you found the board!

[Austlyn]

Welcome tothe board Lestat is this your name or are you an Anne Rice fan????? Just curious! Atkins is definatly great that way.


There are lots of things to check out this board!
Exercise Challanges
Journal Chats
Journal Stats
and of course the list goes on.

[Eleonore]

hi and welcome.
Lestat is my fave character ever. Even one of my cats is called Lestat.

wish you the best.


Ele

[Isabeau]

Welcome aboard!

[Lestat]

Thanks guys, and Lestat is of course not my real name! Though I am a HUGE Anne Rice fan and always identified with that character for some reason. "Pandora" is such an amazing novel! I dont know if there are many guys on this board, but I am glad all the same that I am here!